I’m currently wearing my 31st set of aligners, and it’s been just over a year since I started the Invisalign process. I couldn’t be happier with my result so far, it’s been a much easier process than I ever imagined when I started, and while I’m excited for the final results, I find I’m in no rush for the treatment to end, as Invisalign has become such a way of life for me that I don’t imagine my day-to-day existence being appreciably different without it.
Am I the exception to the rule?
I went to my orthodontist earlier this week, and he praised me for wearing my aligners with dedication, said that my teeth are moving great, filed my bottom canines a bit and sent me on my way, intoning with encouragement, “We’re in the home stretch!”
The appointment left me wondering, though, why this process is apparently so much different for so many other people. My orthodontist said that he could tell by looking at my teeth that I was wearing my aligners fastidiously; other of his patients apparently experience frustration and disappointment when the Invisalign doesn’t move their teeth effectively. According to my doctor, they aren’t wearing their aligners according to the schedule.
Problem is, I don’t think I’m that great about wearing my aligners either. Now, I’ve never gone a whole day without them, I’ve never lost an aligner (though I came close once when I pulled them out of my mouth and tossed them into a corner while sleepwalking), I’ve never gone on a trip and forgot to take them along (seriously, people walk out of the house for vacation without realizing they aren’t in?)… but I’m supposed to wear them a minimum of 20 hours a day, and I don’t really think I’m doing that. Honestly, I just don’t keep track, and if they end up being out for more than four hours, I don’t sweat it. There was at least one time when fell asleep when they were surely out for 12 hours straight. Whenever they’ve been out for an extended period of time, the aligners are tight going back in, they even hurt a bit, but I just use my chewies, chew them back in place, and move on.
On the other hand, I guess I’m pretty good about wearing them during the week; it’s only on weekends that I find myself in situations where they might be out for hours at a time. I frequently leave them out for as much as 6 hours at a time, usually because I eat watching TV and then fall asleep on the couch (I’m somewhat narcoleptic). During the week, though, my routine is pretty set, and so I suppose they stay in the minimum 20 hours.
It’s partly because I do A LOT of stuff with them in that other people wouldn’t. When I first got my aligners, the orthodontist’s assistant told me that I could take them out if I needed to do any public speaking. I teach dance for a living, often to large groups of people, and if I took my aligners out whenever I did public speaking, it would be absurd. I recently taught a lesson to a large crowd, probably fifty people, and the idea of taking out my aligners never crossed my mind.
I recently read an article on the Invisalign Facebook page about a teen undergoing Invisalign treatment who essentially “saved up” hours by wearing her aligners around the clock so that she could go to prom without them. My reaction was pure bafflement. I think that my teeth actually look better with the aligners in! I often say that I “feel naked” without them. If I attend an event with food or a meal, it’s the easiest thing in the world to pop into the ladies’ room to take them out… and we women usually retreat back to the restroom anyway after dinner to touch up our make-up, right? That’s the perfect excuse to clean your teeth and put them back in. Sometimes I even like having the excuse to leave a boring conversation at the table.
I have also come to drink most anything with the aligners in. When I first started, I was conscientious about drinking only clear liquids when I was wearing the aligners… but then I got over it. The only time I ever take my aligners out to drink something is when I have hot coffee in the morning. Otherwise, I drink caffeinated soda on car trips, whiskey & coke at the bar, beer after work with the girls, iced coffee when I’m sleep deprived at work, wine at studio parties… all with my aligners in. Unless I’m going to eat something, I don’t take them out. Are my aligners stained at the end of two weeks? Of course. Are they so stained you can tell it when I’m wearing them? Nope. The only way I know they’re stained is when I see them side-by-side with the new aligners at the end of two weeks.
So, maybe I am being good about wearing my aligners? Maybe I’m not? I just take them out when I need to, put them back in when I get a chance, chew them back into place when I leave them out too long. Shrug? It’s just not a big deal for me.
But maybe my experience isn’t typical? I have remarked in previous blogs about how so many people complained and whined and bemoaned the process in my online research, but my experience was no big deal. When I went to my orthodontist earlier this week, he recommended doing a little more filing between my bottom teeth. He prefers to do it progressively, as he sees the teeth move, rather than all at once, like Invisalign recommends. He contends that Invisalign usually over-estimates the amount of filing needed. After recommending a bit of filing on each of my canines, he asked if it would be okay with me, with enough uncertainty in his voice that I felt like he honestly expected I might say “no.” I know people online cry trauma at their experiences of having their teeth filed, but it’s been an utterly neutral experience for me. This all makes me wonder, are most people just really big babies about their treatments, or am I having an easier than average time?
A few weeks ago I was at an electrolysis appointment (now, getting your hair follicles individually burned off one-by-one… that’s something to whine and complain about!) and I happened to mention to my electrolysist that I had Invisalign. It was at least the third or fourth appointment I’d had with her, and she was more than a bit surprised at my revelation, saying that she’d had patients in the past with Invisalign, and that she could very clearly see the aligners, and their speech was very cleared affected. I couldn’t imagine why or how. I’ve only ever had two people notice my Invisalign without previous knowledge; one was a mother looking into getting Invisalign for her kids, the second was a new student taking lessons with me as a single (i.e. I was dancing with him) who caught a glimpse of a small shadow created by one of my attachments and asked if maybe I had lipstick on my teeth. Most of the time, even when I point out my aligners to somebody, that person squints and strains and has a hard time even discerning them from my teeth until I point directly to one of my attachments, and even then, sometimes give up and say they can’t tell. What Invisalign was my electrolysist seeing? Was this some earlier version of the Invisalign treatment from the 90’s? Did these people have some sort of shoddy orthodontist planning their progress? Am I just an exception to the rule?
The mystery of how my Invisalign experience differs from others may never have an answer. I feel like I’m a misbehaved Invisalign patient, but maybe other people are infinitely worse than me. Based on my experience, I cannot imagine how any Invisalign patient who is earnestly motivated to fix his/her teeth (reluctant teens, on the other hand, probably would have trouble) and contracts with an experienced orthodontist, could possibly have less than good results. Seriously, what’s going on here?
Thanks for this. Had mine for just a week and I’ve been faithful so far wearing them 22 hours at least. I guess you’re done now. How are the retainers performing?
Actually, I just started on my refinements this week. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to post a blog in the next week or so about my initial experience with the refinements.
I’m with you on this. I’ve done Invisalign twice now…once about 10 years ago and I just started another set (lost the retainer procrastinated for a few years..oops). Thankfully I’m on the “realign” plan with only five trays. I wear them for around 12-13 hours/day…8 hours of sleep and 4-5 hours throughout the day. I’ve always tracked perfectly and have never had any problems. On this set, I thought I lost my second set two days in so I went right to my third, no problems at all. I think orthos are extra careful to create a plan that will work for everyone. It’s kind of how engineers put a safety mechanism in all of their devices (i.e. the ride can handle 300 lbs, but lets rate it at 150lbs).
I just started mine last week, and am not happy. I speak on the radio for a living, and they give me an audible speech impediment. When I sleep, my mouth gets terribly dry, far more so than before when I used a mouthguard at night (I tend to chew in my sleep). I cannot close my mouth with the trays in, and I look like a slack-jawed dummie, unless I crunch up my chin and lower lip, which is also pretty unattractive. The inside edges are sharp and are irritating my tongue. I use the rubber bands, and the tension keeps me awake, so now I take them out at night, which will no doubt slow down the process.
I wish my orthodontist had told me about the speech impediment; I might have chosen a different kind of braces.
As it is I will, I hope, get used to them. I am definitely NOT wearing them on my wedding day! If I didn’t need the alignment pretty badly I would abandon this treatment.
I have no idea what is normal or unusual; I suspect that there are as many different experiences as people. I hope mine gets better soon.
The rough edges issue is pretty common. You can just use an emery board to file those down so that they’re smooth. I’m surprised you did not hear about possible speech impediments when you researched Invisalign beforehand. That’s a common complaint — so common that it surprised me I didn’t have more of a problem with speech. Your mouth may adjust to the dryness aspect. I’m done with treatment now, and I’m dealing with the problem that my mouth still produces too much saliva and without the aligners to keep it at bay, I have to been careful about spitting when I talk. I don’t have any advice about the rubber bands; I didn’t need them as part of treatment.
A couple questions: How is your orthodontist rated by Invisalign? Is he/she an Elite provider? Second, what is your aligner material? Smartrack or EX30?
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for blogging about this. I got my attachments for my 18th month treatment yesterday (I am hoping to cut this in half with Acceledent). But I am noticing it is very painful to take my trays off with the attachments. Did you have this problem? I am worried sometimes that the pain/tenderness of my teeth means I am moving them too fast and maybe harming roots.
Did you experience this extra pain where your attachments were, especially with removing trays? And did you have any root issues post treatment?
Your teeth look beautiful - Congrats!
Yes, my teeth with the attachments on then tended to be more sore than the teeth without. The pain felt upon removing or replacing the aligners usually abated after a few days on the new trays. The pain was always present, but always tolerable for me. In fact, I considered it a good thing. Pain meant that the trays were doing their job, and extra pain on the attachment teeth meant that those stubborn little buggers were getting moved.
I’ve had no root problems at all. Now, I’ve only been out of treatment about a year, but still no trouble.